The use of touch-sensitive surfaces as input devices for computers and other electronic computing devices has increased significantly in recent years. Exemplary touch-sensitive surfaces include touch pads and touch screen displays. Such surfaces are widely used to select, launch, manage and close software applications.
For portable electronic devices, existing methods for managing concurrently open applications are cumbersome and inefficient. For example, portable devices with small screens (e.g., smart phones and other pocket-sized devices) typically display a single application at a time, even though multiple applications may be running on the device. With such devices, a user may have difficulty seeing and managing the concurrently open applications. This situation creates a significant cognitive burden on a user. In addition, existing methods for managing currently open applications take longer than necessary, thereby wasting energy. This latter consideration is particularly important in battery-operated devices.
For portable electronic devices, existing methods for selecting one of a plurality of contactable users while viewing a multitasking user interface configured to manage concurrently open applications are cumbersome and inefficient. For example, portable devices with small screens (e.g., smart phones and other pocket-sized devices) typically display a set of contactable users exclusively (e.g., in a contacts application or a phone application). With such devices, a user may have difficulty contacting one of a plurality of contactable users while performing other operations. This situation creates a significant cognitive burden on a user. In addition, existing methods for selecting one of a plurality of contactable users while performing other operations take longer than necessary, thereby wasting energy. This latter consideration is particularly important in battery-operated devices.